Time has flown.........

I have been extra extra busy for the last couple of weeks. We have now finally launched the new Chillton Rug Range, ranging from 1200d light weight turnouts to heavy weight combos.

William had the honour of posing for the photos and I think he made a grand job. I had to keep him in for 3 days to keep him clean!

We are offering 10% off these rugs at the moment and they are all in the winter range so you really can bag yourself a bit if a bargain.

Along side launching the rugs we also have had in a new range of SSG Gloves. Now I don't know if you have used these before but they really are a fantastic long wearing riding glove and I am particularly loving the 'Glove for Hope' gloves at the moment which support breast cancer. I feel not only do I have smart hands, I am supporting a worth while cause as well!

Then we have our new Hi-Viz range from Rambo. The excellent Hi-Viz exercise sheet plus a Hi-Viz Horseware Vest and we are throwing in a FREE Horseware Baseball Cap that has 5 LED lights on the front. Fun but highly practical for walking in the dark and missing the rabbit holes.

We also have the Harry Hall Yale Country Boots, again very practical and stylish for the yard and some lovely Caldene breeches and one of them has a bit of added Bling Bling.

AND before I forget, the Rambo Fleece Lined Chaps with are just so comfortable for yard or riding and are waterproof, windproof, breathable and have a reflective strip down the outside leg for added safety. You get these with a FREE pair of Horseware socks as well.

Well thank goodness it's Friday as after doing all this lot, I need a nice rest over the weekend, spending some quality time with my horse. Oh... I have a lesson tomorrow at 8am, what was that I said about needing a rest?

And here is some pictures of Will that didn't make it to the website :)

I did it, I did it at last............

Saturday saw me having an absolutely fantastic day out at Patchetts with William.

I went for a day trip with my friend Nicki who is at the same yard as myself, and thought it would be a good chance to give him a ride round in a show environment again without actually competing.

So much for me thinking he would be an idiot. He was such a good boy and was totally unfazed about being at a show again.The good thing about Patchetts is there is room, lots of it and we were able to have a beautiful schooling session outside with no-one else around and he was so good I decided to have a jump... well, why not!

I was so organised :) I had no white or beige breeches and no jacket so cue me trying my hardest to squeeze into my friends breeches (she is a few sizes smaller than me with legs twice as long), but I succeeded. I couldn't breathe but I was in, and Patchetts very kindly let me go in without the correct jacket but I did smile nicely.

Well, the bell went and we exploded!!!! 14 fences, as it was 2phase, was a lot to take in but it was to late now, we were off. The first 5-6 fences were interesting and we bounced and lept about on every approach but jumped the fences 3ft higher than they actually were, however, after the 6th we really settled down into a forward rhythm and completed the course in a slightly better manner than when we started. He loved it, I loved it and I am now on the look out for the next outing. I have the bug back!

At Cybercheckout, I have been very busy getting in lots of new stock and promotional ideas. We are all stocked up on our medium and heavy weight rugs from Horseware. A new delivery has arrived today of SSG gloves (which I have to admit are rather lovely), Fleece lined waterproof chaps and Hi-Viz gear, which this time of year we cannot live without, especially if you meet drivers like I met out hacking yesterday (yes you, Mr Silver Range Rover man!)

We also now have a new line of Caldene breeches which look fab and one style even has a little bling on the pocket for you, but they are very flattering even for my stump legs and stretch nicely. If you go to the website, in the clothing section there is a lovely Caldene Badminton Jacket. I love it and I have already put one aside for myself, just waiting for Pay day, but if you can, I would, they are lovely!

And we are off...............

Well, I never did make it to the competition on Sunday, I am beg, stealing and borrowing lifts at the moment, due to no transport and my lift didn't happen. Not to worry, I am off to Patchetts on Saturday and it has given me more time to put some work into the jumping.

I have worked on the ground poles, I have also done a tiny little cross pole (but it felt great), so we have now progressed onto grid work. I set out a bounce grid running down the long side of the arena. Pole, Cross, Pole, Cross, Pole, Cross. This really made William come back to me and think about what he was doing. I kept it simple, trot in, bounce through and canter away, trot, halt. Very impressive for Will. Took it all in his stride, nice and relaxed and felt smashing. The best I have jumped him in years actually.

The thing with Will is that I don't need to worry about the height of the fences, I know, he knows he can do it, he is more than capable so our aim at home, is keeping it small and simple but above all controlled and relaxed and do the fun stuff at the competitions. So far so good.

Saturday, I made the most of the daylight and the sunshine and went for a lovely hack on my own for a good hour and a half. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was nice to spend some time not on a time limit and rushing around to get home etc. Yesterday we went in the field for a school around..........we will just brush that one aside......less said about that the better I think........our leg yielding is fantastic though! :)

Desperately trying to find time to get another clip in as this first clip really hasn't lasted that long and he gets terribly hot, the trouble is, I have a few clips booked in for other people for the next few weekends so I can see me trying to battle it out in artificial light at 8pm in the evening. I'll let you know how it looks the next morning!! Oh, I do loathe the winter nights.

It's all a bit scary...........

Before I begin waffling on about myself and what I have been up to I want to say a HHUUUGGGEEE congratulations to Team GB at the Europeans but my major well dones are saved for Piggy French and Some Day Soon (Edward) who got Individual Silver. Edward is owned by a very good friend of mine and I have followed his progress from the beginning when he was first being ridden at Nick Turners yard by Lucy Kempley. Lucy and Nick have done a fantastic job on a highly talented but highly quirky horse and I just adored being able to shout at the telly cheering on a horse I actually knew. Well done to everybody involved from the owners to the grooms, you deserve it all.

So apart from wanting to pin a poster of Edward to Will's stable wall to give him some inspiration, we have been busy working on lots of pole work and lunge jumping.

I tried the double bridle out but it didn't all go to plan, the bridle was a bit big and just didn't sit right making the bits not seem in the correct place in his mouth. It certainly wasn't atrocious so I gave it a go but even though Will didn't do anything wrong, he didn't feel right so 15Min's in, I got off and popped his pelham on. He immediately felt a lot more relaxed so I am not saying the Double isn't right for him but I think that bridle was wrong for him, sensitive sole he is.

I used the Pelham to do all of his pole work and it has been fine so far so I think I shall leave it at that for now. As Will hasn't jumped for so long I decided the best thing for both of us was to lunge jump a few times at first, he is a lot calmer on the lunge without me trying to interfere(!) and it will give his muscles a chance to get used to it again. He was good as gold and looks to be thouroughly enjoying himself. I have done all the pole work and Wednesday saw me attempting to try canter poles. This has never been our best exercise but it has to be done (I decided that) and I was pleasantly surprised. Very good and only a couple of blips which I can live with.

Sunday see's me going out to a competition with a friend of mine. I am just taking Will for the ride out really and not planning to compete. The aim is to just ride him around in a show atmosphere again, keeping him chilled, no stress ready for a few weeks time when we get out to a proper competition. However, I know what i'm like so i'm taking my clothes with me just incase he is going very nicely and I decide just to go for it. You never know!!!!!

Work is hectic! All these rugs you keep buying :):):) We have just had a fresh delivery of stock in and it is flying out the door. Absolutely fantastic. I should also have my new range of rugs in at the end of this month, this is exciting but very scary. I have so much work to do for this but I am very proud of them and I haven't had a negative comment as yet from the people who have been testing them for me. I am sure you will all support me on this long road and I welcome ALL feedback on these. Not long to go *chews nails nervously* but hang on in there.........

We have progress......

William has been a little star lately. As I mentioned previously, I changed his bit over because of all the 'issues' we were having with life in general. He is now being schooled in a rubber pelham with double reins. Well what a change in pony, he is loving this bit and has completly changed his attitude to work. I dont even have to touch the second rein, he is light and responsive and making my life just a little bit easier.

Before I owned Will, he was on a show jumping yard and ridden in a double bridle. When I bought him, we went back to basics and we found a happy medium on the flat with a Myler Comfort Snaffle and a Myler Combination for jumping. Obviously we have progressed through the years and I now feel ready to try him again in the double. His attitude and abilty have progressed so this week I have begged, stealed and borrowed a double bridle from a friend of mine and I shall be trying this out and I will update as we go along.





Friday saw us doing our first bit of pole work, only trotting poles but this is William we are talking about, however he didnt even flick an ear and happily mooched over them without a care in the world. This is great for me as I have an event planned for mid October and was wondering how long I would need to spend in orbit before we could get on with some decent pole work and jumps. The weekend saw me doing some happy hacking and this week, apart from the bridle change, sees me doing some lunge jumping and more ground work.


I clipped him yesterday so I had all of about 12 hours of a gorgeously clean grey. This morning, I was greated with a lovely poo stain all down his neck and rubbed nicely in his mane. Oh the joys.................

New range of Tottie clothing now in!

And I love it. We have Polo Shirts , Hoodies , Gilets and various other items of clothing in now. I am into Grey and Pink at the moment. These are my 'in' colours for the season so I am loving the Charcoal colour that is out in Tottie at the moment. I think it is exceptionally smart with your Jodhpurs (and having a grey, the hair blends in nicely) and also teamed up with jeans, they look great around the town as well.

As you can imagine my pay packet doesn't last long working here, by the time I have bought all my rugs that I dont need, and then bought all the new clothing it doesn't leave a lot for the important things like bills. Thank god for husbands! But as we say, you can never have enough Jods and fleeces..........or is that just me?................

I'm exhausted...........

Wow, what a busy bee I have been. I have been working my flying grey that goes by the name of William quite hard to get some extra buzz out of him. I am having a breakthrough! After my last post, his erractic behaviour continued and my patience was slowly wearing thin, but with a bit of hard work (and a bit change, which was desperately needed by the end) we have started to come through to the other side. Saturday saw some of the nicest canter work I have had out of him in a long time, so light and controlled, it was gorgeous and sunday morning I took him for an early morning hack which was nice and the sun was out and not to many people about and again he was a very good boy........ so I love him again now.

Saturday saw all of the family take a road trip to Burghley Horse Trials. My son Oliver, who is 4, enjoyed it the most, cheering on the riders and racing up and down the hills, I dont know where he gets the energy from, but this is the first time he has really showed an interest in the horses. Bikes and cars take preference to the horses with the males in my household so I took great enjoyment at the look of horror on the husbands face as his son proudly said how much fun the horses were....priceless.
Shoved down in the footwell of the car was Ashka, who just adores these days out, and we met so many other Weinaramers who all had a little play together and got on superb. I never thought they were so common but there really were a good few there at the weekend. If you ever want to look at different breeds of dogs, go to a horse trial as they are everywhere, in every breed, in every colour, and I have to say, hand on heart, I did not meet one that was not on a lead or not in control, although to the man who let his dog poop in front of us and then promptly walk away leaving it there for people to tred in....you have pockets, stick a bag in them and pick it up!!!
As I have read a lot of articles about people wanting dogs banned from horse trials recently, For me personally, my horse and my dog go together, I keep her on the lead when I need to and I have her under control. If you cant control your dog, do not take it to these events, if you dont have recall, do not let it off the lead and I am all up for these events to give a fine for people that do not have control over there animals but don't let everyone lose out on the enjoyment of a great day that can be shared with their dogs in the countryside with great exercise. Rant over......